Ethical Gift Guide: 15 Incredible Fair Trade Products & Shops

As one of many retailers focused on ethically made products, we're excited to celebrate World Fair Trade Day with millions of people around the world, and we hope you'll join us!

If you know about the problem of textile sweatshops and impoverished coffee growers, then you’re well aware of the exploitation of workers around the world. The fair trade movement has been working for decades to change this with measurable success. Fair trade shops empowers small and disadvantaged producers with living wages, safe working conditions, community support, and environmental respect.

Best of all, consumers are voicing their concern for the well-being of workers with both their voices and their wallets. They are saying loud and clear that it matters how something is made, and we're right there with them.

So let's honor the farmers and artisans who make our chocolate, coffee, clothes - and much more - by purchasing and gifting fair trade products. Not sure where to find them? No problem! We've put together this ethical gift guide of 15 fair trade shops that give back equally to people and the planet.

Fair Trade Coffee and Tea

1. Dean’s Beans 

Dean’s Beans purchases their beans directly from co-ops in South America, Africa, Central America, and Asia through fair trade practices and advocates on behalf of local growers and communities. Their coffee beans are 100% ethically sourced, bought at fair prices, and make an absolutely delicious cup of coffee. We’re all coffee-lovers here, so we couldn’t be happier to have Dean’s Beans as our neighbor. If you’re ready to add some goodness into your coffee routine, check them out online or in stores across the country. We also include Dean's Beans in our Pioneer Valley Gift Boxes. 

2. Numi Tea 

When it comes to quality, organic teas with a positive impact on both people and the environment, Numi Tea really stands out. As a certified B Corp, Numi Tea empowers farmers every step of the process and is mindful of their larger environmental impact. One of their partnerships that we especially admire is with Together for H2OPE, who helps provide farmers and their communities with safe and clean drinking water. We like Numi so much, we've been including their teas in our corporate gift sets for the past 6 years.

Fair Trade Chocolate

3. Divine Chocolate

Divine Chocolate is co-owned by the 85,000 farmer members of Kuapa Kokoo, a cooperative in Ghana that strives to really empower growers. Each bar is made with 100% pure cocoa butter and Fair Trade certified ingredients for delicious chocolate that is good for us and for each grower's livelihood! Divine Chocolate's fair trade products are staples in our gifts for foodies collection. We love their dark chocolate with toffee & sea salt and paired it with a candle for our Burmese Joy Gift Set. 

4. Ben & Jerry's

Everyone knows how tasty Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is, but their business practices are just as incredible. The sugar, cocoa, vanilla, coffee, and bananas used in their ice creams are all certified fair trade ingredients - meaning they respect the growers and their communities. There’s a quote from Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield that resonates with us: “Nobody wants to buy something that was made by exploiting someone else.” So next time you want to indulge in some ice cream, try an ice cream you know does good in the world.

Fair Trade Home Decor

5. Ten Thousand Villages 

Ten Thousand Villages is a leader in the fair trade movement when it comes to beautiful fair trade products. Their handcrafted gifts are crafted in over 30 countries using only local materials and support over 20,000 artisans around the world with a sustainable income. If you’ve walked into a Ten Thousand Villages shop, you know there’s no end to the unique gifts you can find for friends and loved ones. We wanted to include them in our ethical gift guide because we love that every purchase has a story behind it and brings dignity to the maker.

6. Prosperity Candle

Prosperity Candle - Hey, that's us! But we do love our ethically made candles, each of which is handpoured by a woman artisan who resettled to the U.S. after living for years as a refugee. Every purchase helps provide a living wage so she can build a brighter future for herself and her family. Empowering women and building a future without poverty is key to our mission. We seek out unique, artisan-made vessels for our candles that honor the artisan and their community and partner with fair trade organizations as much as we can. Our Serenity Candle features a partnership with Tara Projects in India, a fair trade organization that provides education and healthcare programs for those in need.

While we have opted for B Corp certification because of our mission and where we work in the world, we still follow the same fair trade practices we always have and seek to purchase from fair trade shops.

Fair Trade Online Stores

7. One World Fair Trade

One World Fair Trade is an ethical store that specializes in fair trade accessories, gifts, home decor, and clothing. Their products make wonderful gifts and are ethically sourced from over 50 countries throughout South America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and the United States. The best part is that each gift creates opportunity for disadvantaged artisans to live a quality life with adequate food, education, and healthcare.

8. The Little Market

The Little Market co-founders Lauren Conrad and Hannah Skvarla felt strongly about the power of handmade products to generate meaningful income for women artisans and their families. Because of this, their handmade home decor, bags and accessories, jewelry, and candles all honor the artisan and their community through fair trade principles and practice. We love their mission, design, and deep commitment to fair trade shopping. Check out their beautiful online ethical store!

9. Greenheart Shop 

Greenheart Shop sells a mix of fair trade, environmentally friendly, and mission-based products both out of their online ethical store and their brick and mortar shop in Chicago. It’s clear that they go out of their way to curate a meaningful collection to give back to people, the environment, and communities around the world. Plus, their home decor and kitchen pieces are stunning. If you want to brighten your home for the summer with a vibrant handmade bowl or plate, definitely give them a look.

10. Serrv

Serrv is an online fair trade shopping marketplace that partners with small artisan co-ops to create opportunity, strengthen communities, and empower women. Their curated collection features gorgeous handmade and hand-painted products for the home and kitchen. They even have ethically-made women’s fashion, jewelry, sweets, and a curated gift section. Every purchase gives disadvantaged artisans and growers a sustainable path out of poverty. That’s something we can definitely get behind.

11. Global Goods Partners

Global Goods Partners is one of the few online ethical stores that carries fair trade kids’ clothing, toys, and decor. Their products are handmade by over 60 artisan groups across Africa, South America, Asia, and North America. That means each gift is unique and improves the quality of life and economic well-being of the artisan who made it. We love that Global Goods Partners focuses their impact on women by partnering with women-led and community-based organizations that support girls’ education.

Fair Trade Shoes

12. Oliberte 

Oliberte was founded in 2009 and is the world’s first fair trade certified footwear brand. As a B Corp business, their men’s and women’s shoes directly support workers rights in sub-Saharan Africa and provide safe, ethical jobs for communities of people. Oliberte uses sustainable practices, sourcing all of the leather, rubber, machinery, and fabric locally in Africa. If you want to invest in communities and the environment with fair trade products, definitely consider purchasing a pair of their hand-crafted, high quality shoes.

Fair Trade Clothing and Jewelry

13. ABLE

ABLE is putting women artisans first and striving to create radical change in the fashion industry. Their handcrafted jackets, shoes and necklaces are made by women globally with a focus on living wages, equality and safety. And while not certified Fair Trade, they are a certified B Corp and we love their mission of creating opportunities around the world to help end the cycle of generational poverty.

14. Ravel & Lily

Raven & Lily strives to empower women artisans with fair trade wages, education, and access to healthcare. Their beautifully handcrafted clutches, totes, necklaces and earrings are handmade by artisans in Ethiopia, Kenya, India, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, Mexico, and the U.S. Because each is made with recycled and repurposed materials, their gifts truly "thread lightly on the planet." 

15. Fair Trade Winds

Fair Trade Winds is a family-owned ethical store that partners with small artisan workshops and co-ops to empower women and communities across the world. Explore their gifts that save the planet. Fair Trade Winds carries an eco-friendly gift collection curated mindfully to save the planet and minimize their environmental footprint. We love their Starfish Project Jewelry which helps restore hope to women escaping human trafficking in Asia through housing, education, and healthcare programs.

We hope that this ethical gift guide inspires your next purchase! Did we miss your favorite fair trade products or shops? Let us know in the comments! 

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